Endings and Beginnings
by Rhean Silvarel
Summary: In the midst of tragedy, something precious and fragile blossoms.
1. Chapter 1

Endings and Beginnings

Suddenly an anguished scream echoed through the deserted compound. Stunned by the amount of raw emotion expressed, Kakashi froze for a moment, then dashed towards the source as quickly as his legs would carry him.

Reaching the room from which the sound had originated, he wavered and nearly fell to his knees, even as hardened as he was. Sakura lay crumpled to the floor, sobbing great, wracking sobs that convulsed her whole body. And next to her… Naruto's bloody, lifeless body.

Moving forward jerkily, as if he didn't quite have control of his body, Kakashi knelt down beside Sakura and gently laid his hand on one of he heaving shoulders. She looked up at him, her eyes glazed and shiny with the tears running down her face. "He's too… too far gone, I can't do anything! Why can't I do anything?! What's the use of being a medic if I can't even help the people most important to me?!"

"Shh, Sakura, shh," he murmured, his voice cracking. Handling her as if she might break, he maneuvered her so she was curled up in his lap, her head cradled against his chest by one gloved hand.

"Why?" she sobbed, fisting her hands in his vest and burying her face against it.

"I don't know," he said brokenly. "I just don't know anymore." He pressed his own face into he cherry blossom locks and let his own bitter tears come. Another one he couldn't protect, another one he had let die. But… his arms tightened around the fragile woman in his embrace. He still had her, for what it was worth, she was still there.

He knew he shouldn't feel this way, all the people he cared about seemed to end up dead, but he just couldn't help himself. He also knew that no one would eve condone his feelings, branding them "wrong" or "taboo." But she wasn't a child anymore, and he was no longer her teacher. They had been equals, partners, for three years now, ever since she had turned eighteen. And… though he really shouldn't hope, she had seemed to be developing feelings for him as well. But these were thoughts for another time.

Raising his head, he looked down at the kunoichi now quiet in his arms. "Sakura… we've got to bring him back to Konoha. We've done what we were sent to do, find him, and now," his voice cracked again. "Now we've got to bring him home."

"You're right," she said, her voice hoarse. "Let's bring him home. And Kakashi…" she said, voice tailing off. "Thanks." She looked up at him, eyes glimmering like wet emeralds, and managed the smallest of smiles.

Reluctantly releasing her, he moved to kneel by Naruto. Reaching out, he gently closed the once bright blue eyes, now dull and lifeless. "Goodbye…" he whispered sadly. Sakura moved to kneel on the other side, touching her fingertips to one pale, whiskered cheek. Tears still running slowly down her face, she performed a jutsu that would allow the body to be transported back in a scroll. Tenderly, she picked up the scroll lying where he had been and tucked into her pouch.

They stood up together, hands automatically reaching out for the comfort the other's offered. "Let's go," she whispered. Hand in hand, they walked out. Before leaving, they turned and looked at the place they knew they would remember forever.

They exchanged a glance. Without letting go of each other, they used their free hands to perform the Grand Fireball jutsu, another memento of a lost teammate, pooling their chakra and doubling the power as they worked together. When the fire died down, all that was left was a charred clearing that nature would reclaim eventually, obliterating any signs that it had ever been there.


	2. Chapter 2

The trip back to Konoha was nearly silent, punctuated by periods of grieving, both nin taking comfort from the other's presence. The first night after they started back, they had been completely exhausted by the time they had stopped, pushing themselves to the limit so they might get at least a few hours of sleep. Sakura only had enough energy for a few tears before she fell asleep in the bedroll she and Kakashi had been sharing because they couldn't escape the nightmares and it was easier if there was someone there to help and understand.

After a week of driving themselves relentlessly, they arrived at the gates of Konoha on a humid evening, haggard and worn. Izumo and Kotetsu were on duty screening arrivals, and both paled when they saw the condition the two were in and no other person with them. They had known the mission, as they were Tsunade's closest advisors. "Kakashi," Kotetsu said hesitantly, "the Hokage gave orders that you and Sakura were to report to her when you returned." Kakashi simply gave a weary nod, wrapping an arm around Sakura's bowed shoulders and leaning on each other, they slowly made their way to the tower.

On their way, civilians and fellow ninja alike gave them a wide berth, sensing they wouldn't be able to handle any questions. Upon arriving at the tower, Shizune took one look at them and hurried to inform the Hokage they were back and what condition they were in. Once inside Tsunade's office, the two simply stood there, leaning on each other without bothering to separate.

Tsunade was stunned. Here were two of her most valued ninja, and here they were looking like they'd gone through hell even after a simple retrieval mission. Then her focus sharpened. They had been on a retrieval mission… if they didn't have Naruto with them then… either the mission was a failure, which was nearly impossible with these being two of her best, or… or it had been a success and he wasn't alive. She couldn't say dead, she couldn't even think it.

"Did you…" her voice broke. "Did you bring him home?"

"Shishou, we did." Sakura replied hoarsely. Stepping forward with Kakashi, she softly placed the scroll on Tsunade's desk. Tsunade looked down, tears blurring her eyes making it hard to see the black seal on the scroll.

"What happened?"

Kakashi answered for Sakura, who was once again crying into his vest. "We got there and there was nothing. We had been searching the place for about an hour when I heard Sakura scream. When I got to her, she was with… with Naruto. It appears that when they knew we were following they extracted the Kyuubi and left his body for us to find."

Tsunade covered her eyes with her hands. They couldn't even go after the damned Akatsuki now, the village was too low on ninja after the battle in which Orochimaru in Sasuke's body had been killed. Looking back up at the two ninja in front of her, her eyes widened fractionally, seeing the way her former apprentice clung to the man and the way he had wrapped his arms around her protectively. Wearily she said, "You two go home and get some rest, there's nothing we can do right now. You two will be the first to know when the service will be."

Before she left, Sakura stepped around Tsunade's desk to embrace her. She clung to Sakura tightly for a moment before letting go. "And you two are not to do _anything_. And I mean it. Go home, relax, no work for you two for a while." Kakashi wanted to protest, but he knew she was right. He was of no use to anyone in the state he was in. Exhaustedly, the two left, their arms still wrapped around each other.

When they made it outside, they stopped for a moment. "Kakashi," Sakura said looking up at him, "please, stay with me tonight... I… I don't want to be alone. I don't think I'll be able to handle it."

"I will Sakura," he said, smoothing one gloved hand over her hair. "I don't think I could stand it either."

Wearily they made their way to the modest house Sakura had inherited after her civilian parents passed away. Uncaring, Sakura led the way to her bedroom, shedding clothing as she went. "I'm going to take a shower," she said over her shoulder at him, "do you mind using it after?"

"That's fine," he said, "It's your home after all." She managed a weary smile at that. That was Kakashi, always polite and courteous, except when she teased him, then he gave as good as he got.

"There's another bathroom down the hall, it just doesn't have a shower. The couch in the living room has a fold out bed, you can sleep on that if you don't mind."

"Sure, thanks." Sakura finished shedding her clothes in her room, then stepped into the adjoined bathroom, which had a spacious tub equipped with a shower head. With a sigh of relief, she turned it on, hot enough that the room started to fill with steam. This was how she normally relaxed after missions, especially after she had joined ANBU and the missions had gotten a lot more bloody. Now, more than ever she needed that comfort.

Meanwhile, Kakashi fell on the couch, trying to relax muscles that had been knotted with grief and tension ever since they had found him. He was finally succeeding a bit when he heard a thud from the direction of Sakura's bedroom. "Sakura, are you alright?" he called. Receiving no reply, he went through her room to stand at the bedroom to the bathroom door, not really noting his surroundings in his worry. "Sakura?" Still nothing.

Concerned, he went in and immediately saw that she had collapsed to the bottom of the tub. "Sakura." He reached out and touched one shoulder lightly. Her only answer was a stifled sob. Looking around, he spotted the towel she had set aside for when she got out. Reaching into the shower, he shut it off, then grabbing the towel, he wrapped it around Sakura and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

He brought her to her bed, settling her in the tangle of blankets and moving to leave the room. "Kakashi." Her teary voice stopped him as much as the fragile grip on his wrist. "Please, don't go… I don't want to be alone." Without a word he settled next to her on the bed and curled himself around her, heedless of the fact that she was still wet from the shower. With a shuddering sigh, she laced her fingers with Kakashi's, draping his arm over her, and fell into an exhausted sleep. Kakashi lay for a little while awake still. He castigated himself for feeling so at peace, but he couldn't seem to help it. With his own weary sigh, he too fell asleep.


End file.
